Christmas is the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s believed that about 2000 years ago, God sent an angel to a woman named Mary. The angel told Mary she would become pregnant with a baby who would be the son of God. Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, was upset at first because she was pregnant before their marriage. Then, an angel came to Joseph in a dream and explained that Mary had become pregnant through immaculate conception. Immaculate conception is used to describe Mary’s conception of the baby without having sex. Joseph and Mary travelled a long way to Bethlehem to be with Joseph’s family for the birth. When they got there, they had trouble finding a place to stay and ended up in a barn. Mary gave birth to Jesus in the barn and placed him to sleep in a manger. When he was born, a bright star appeared. Some scholars, called The Wise Men, followed the North Star and eventually found the new king, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The celebration of Christmas usually begins on the eve of Dec. 24 and goes through the day of Dec. 25. Most churches offer a service during various times throughout these days. People put up trees and other decorations. They also exchange gifts with their loved ones.

Remember Santa Claus? The man who flies across the world overnight in a sleigh to delivers presents to all the “nice” children? He’s based on a real person. A bishop who lived in the fourth century, Nicholas lost his parents at a young age and was left with a lot of money. In Northern England in the 1500’s, they needed someone who delivered the presents, so they settled on Saint Nicholas, who they dubbed Father Christmas. When Dutch settlers brought their stories of Christmas with them to America, calling him Sinterklaas, which eventually became the man in the red suit that we know today as Santa Claus.